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.- JOSIAH s. renam s, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Letters Patent No. 114,848, dated May 16, 1 871.

' a m PRovEMENr lsaeiasearaarise ru s sessions restate sac rneveurir emuis 5.983 @F MERCURY.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent. and making or the To all whom it may concern Beitknown that I, Josmrr S. Prrrnmrs, of the city and county of San Francisco, Sta-to of California,

or improvements without further invention or exper iment.

nvcn ion re a es [1 in re has or r M ,r t l t toa i ted oc f e paring mercury for use in amalgamating the precious metals, both for the purpose of hrcventing less of the quicksilver and for stripping the particles of metal which arebeing amalgamated of the sulphnrous coat or envelope in which they are frequently incased, so

that the mercury can act'upon them.

It is also intended for the better covering of copper plates with mercury.

ln'order to prepare the mercury for amalgamation it is placed in a glass, iron or other vessel, together with a quantity'of'diluted sulphuric or hydrochioric acid and smali chips of zinc added. The bottle is then shaken and hydrogen gas is formed, which, minglingwith the mercury, thoroughly cleanses it.

Small strips or copper are then added to the cleansed mercury, or removable strips of copper may be attached to the fronts of grinding-shoes in the amalgamating pau, so as to give a nucleus for the attraction,

' which is caused by the attraction of amalgamation and cphesionjduring the amalgamating process.

The mercury, being thus cleansed and sharpened in activity by the'zinc and copper, is further benefited by the: galvanic action which this combination willcrc ate in the iron pan or battery, as'wcll as on amalgamated copper plates, thus preventing the lossiolf rrereury, and consequently saving more gold.

In order to remove any sulphurous coating which may e::'. elop the particles of gold, and thus prepare it to be acted on by the mercury, chloride .of barium is added to the contents of the pan, either alone or with other ou inicais.

The addition of this chemical also aids in thepreeipitation of the sulphur released by grinding metallic sulphide ores, and. prevents the mercury from being decomposed or floured and wasted, while the released chlorine assists in dissolving gold and precipitating silver. l

r i do not claim the use of finely-divided copper for cleaning mcrcury, as described in the patent to W. R.

Frink, dated August 30, @1864, nor the use of zinc, tin,

'or other metal in the same manner, as described in the patent to William Grookes', dated Ma 15, 1856.

Having thus described my invention,

What helium, and desire to secure hy'Letters Pat- .1. The preparation of mercury in the manner above described, tor the purpose of cleansing and increasing its atiinity for the precious metals, and also to prevent loss of the mercury during amalgamation, substantially as above specified; I

2. The addition to the mercury of chloride ct barium, I either separately or with other chemicals, during amalgamation, substantially as and for the purposes above described.

In witness whereof I-have hereunto-sonny hand" .rosrau s. PHILLEPS. is. a}

and seal.

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